Desktop software or applications may often come with other potentially unwanted programs (PUP's). A PUP is unwanted and/or malicious software, which is distributed by discreetly bundling a requested software product that a user has requested with the unwanted software product that the user may have no knowledge of or interest in. Software agreements that refer to these additional bundled software may often be buried within an end user license agreement (EULA) that is obscured from a user or be hidden under advanced selection buttons as options in a graphical user interlace (GUI) instance displayed during an installation process. A user who does not pay close attention to a EULA text or a selection button that indicates the presence of a PUP may unwittingly or without the user's knowledge install the PUP on the user's computer system. These PUPs can be malware such as, for example, adware or spyware that cause undesirable system behavior or alter the security state and privacy posture of the system on which they are installed. Further, spyware may also eavesdrop on a user's activities by collecting personal information like Internet surfing habits, user logins, and bank or credit account information, or may interfere with a user's control of the computer by installing additional harmful software or redirecting web browsers to unintended sites. Malware may also change a computer's settings, which can result in slow Internet connection speeds, unauthorized changes in browser settings, changes to software settings, or the like.
Current solutions to prevent these PUP's place the burden of preventing installation of these bundled PUP components on end users. For example, end users are expected to read a EULA text or watch carefully the GUI options that are provided during an installation in order to determine whether additional software is included and may be installed during the installation process. These users may have to deselect software components associated with PUPs if they were not requested by the user. However, non-security savvy or novice users usually choose a default installation option a quicker or “painless” option, which can result in installation of these additional PUPs. Some anti-virus software solutions may warn a user that software is being installed on a system; however, these solutions do not provide a way to discriminate between an authorized installation of an intended application and an unwanted PUP family. Other software solutions detect adware or spyware; however, they only detect such adware or spyware after it is installed on a user's computer. A way of detecting the presence of a PUP bundled with user-intended software during installation and alerting the user of the PUP would be desirable.